“We arrive in 10 minutes! Prepare to disembark!”

Shouts echoed through the train cars, spurring me from my sleep.

After several hours of chatting, laughing, and playing small games, everyone had gotten tired and drifted off to sleep. The entire car with the bar was littered with unconscious bodies.

Of course, we hadn’t been sleeping for long. In order to pass the time, everyone found something to do.

Besides the usual, there was a period when some of the Knights sparred. In order to not damage anything, they did something similar to fencing. Over half the Elites were Knights in the first place, so many went up to challenge themselves and have fun.

Even I went up, taking a light sword and utilizing my nonexistent sword skill to try and poke the other Knight. Even after 5 minutes of trying though, I couldn’t so much as touch them. It made for a nice laugh.

And after that, the warlocks went up and let out displays of spellcasting. Many of the spells let out were nothing more than parlor tricks, like little sparks of fire or little droplets of water being thrown at the opponent. It was funny seeing the reactions of those who got bit by a spark, only for the other to stumble when their hair was blown back by a sharp gust of wind.

Things of that nature filled the ride, and I watched for the most part, a smile on my face.

It felt like I was back in college messing around with some friends at a sporting event. And it all helped me realize that, in the end, these people were all just young adults who liked to have fun. The Magisterium and the war against the Scourge put a lot of pressure on them, especially the Elites, but that didn’t mean they didn’t still want to kick back and let loose.

They were only a couple of years younger than me, so I had no issue relating and getting along with them.

Most would feel like these Elites were unapproachable professionals wholly focused on growing their strength. But what kid was interested in that? They knew how to have fun just like anybody else their age. They didn’t suddenly lose their humanity with their talent.

So the ride was refreshing for me. I feel like everyone had gotten closer.

Just like me, everyone else also woke up with the shouts. We had slept for around an hour or two, a power nap sufficient to revitalize us for whatever was awaiting us at this military base.

In the car, bodies littered the couches and floor, all of them slowly rising and stretching.

I heard groans and moans, along with a few who didn’t actually wake up and continued to snore.

One of which was Tana, who I saw passed out in the corner of the room. When I thought back, I couldn’t help the laugh.

After a few hours of constant drinking, she finally couldn’t hold it and left to go vomit. Umara was stuck holding her hair back. But shockingly, after recovering for a bit, she was right back at it.

She proclaimed that she needed to build her tolerance, but reality was cruel as she hurled again not even an hour after trying to drink more. After that, we pinned her down and forced her to rest, which ended with her passing out. That was about halfway through the ride.

Hopefully she would be recovered enough to walk straight. I thought of that as I went over and shook her.

“Hey, Tana.”

“...”

She didn’t respond, even after I shook her harder and tapped her face.

Then, Umara walked over.

“I got it.”

*Splash*

She summoned some water, pouring it over Tana’s head. And the reaction was violent.

“Ahh! Stop! Please!”

“Wake up.”

Umara was rather merciless with her words, but still gently helped Tana up.

To my great surprise though, she didn’t seem hungover at all.

Tana just got up and cracked her neck before letting out a long breath.

“Ehh. How long was I out?”

“We’re here, so you do the math.”

“I don’t like math. Whatever. I need to pee.”

With a yawn, Tana walked out of the car in search of a restroom.

I stood there, a bit stunned, before connecting the dots.

“So Knights can resist the effects of alcohol. No wonder she could drink so much.”

Tana had drank nonstop for hours despite her having no experience with alcohol. I suppose it was only her strong body as a Knight that allowed her to do that.

I sighed in slight envy.

“How lucky. They can’t get hungover.”

“Yes, their bodies are naturally resistant to poisoning. It’s why I wasn’t worried.”

“Mm. Well, how are you doing?”

“Fine, actually. Those cigars help your body filter the alcohol as well, so I’m feeling good. Oh, and here.”

Umara suddenly handed back the cigar. It was barely a quarter burnt, so I took out my golden cigar case and stashed it for later. The sight of it caused Umara’s eyes to widen a bit.

After that, everyone gathered in the main car we had first arrived in. There, the instructors were briefing everyone.

“The orientation will simply consist of the most basic things you need to know. Tomorrow is when you’ll receive a tour of the base and get to know your daily routine. Just listen to the Commander so he can quickly get you situated in your barracks.”

The Puppet Master gave those words, and not long after, we all felt the Rail come to a gradual stop.

I nudged Umara with my elbow.

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“Hey, what are the military ranks?”

“Oh, I was tested on those. Hang on…”

She took a second to think before counting with her 10 fingers.

“Ensign, First Ensign, Corporal, Sergeant, Master Sergeant, First Sergeant, Commander, Chief Commander, First Commander, and Brigadier.”

“Oh.”

“Those are the Infantry ranks in the military, and they go by your Authority. The Commander we’re going to meet would be an Authority 7. And the Intelligence ranks have different names.”

“Alright.”

I nodded, and right after, the door to the car opened, revealing the terminal we arrived in.

Unlike the one in the Capital, this one wasn’t fancy or very well kept. The floors were made of gray stone bricks, and across the way from all the Rails, there was what looked like a large warehouse with tons of cargo in it, probably stuff that needed to be transported.

There were also many troops moving about the plaza. I took a look at the standard uniforms.

Because this world’s military wasn’t facing a human or generally intelligent enemy, there was no need for camouflage. It was likely that such measures would be useless before a beast’s senses. Plus, guns and bullets weren’t the primary mode of combat. Therefore, entire sets of steel armor were much more important than cloth that could blend into the surroundings.

So instead, the uniforms were sets of clothing that, in their most basic setup, were designed to be worn under armor. This meant that they were sleek and generally comfortable to wear.

The fabrics of the shirts, for instance, seemed to be some variant of polyester derived from a plant. This made them flexible, smooth, and relatively tough. Some of my sets of clothing were polyester, in fact.

And the pants were like jeans, but thinner and more flexible. They were belted and meant to fit nicely under a set of armor. If I had to describe it, they would be a heavy duty pair of dress slacks.

As for the colors, they went by the theme colors of the Kingdom of Dragon Tongue, which were black, white, and blue.

The shirt was entirely blue, and the pants were black like formal slacks with blue lines running down their seams.

Some were also wearing coats, ones that looked like wool jackets. And then there was the Commander in front of us who was wearing a formal overcoat with some medals and badges pinned on it.

One of our instructors, a fourth year teacher who I hadn’t met before, went forward to greet him.

“Commander Bosnen.”

“Instructor Gretia. Welcome to Calatrop Base.”

They shook hands before the instructor turned to us.

“Alright students, listen up. Most of your arrangements will be handled by Commander Bosnen here. He is your leader for the duration of your stay here. You will listen to his instructions as if they were orders from us. Besides, in a year, you all will join the military and he will outrank you anyway, so act according to your position. Now, I’ll hand you off. Go ahead, Commander.”

“Thank you, Instructor.”

The Commander stepped forward after we had all piled out of the Rail. To the side, we could see all our chests and cargo being hauled out and into the base by some other soldiers.

The Commander looked over each of us before speaking.

“You all will address me as Commander. I have been given authority by the First Commander overseeing this base to take care of you all while you are here. This means you are my responsibility, and my words will therefore dictate the next month of your lives. Failure to follow orders will result in suspension for the rest of your trip as well as rigorous training designed to promote reflection and introspection. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Commander.”

I spoke in response, along with the rest of the group. They all seemed familiar with this kind of environment, and they had indeed been to these places plenty of times before.

Starting in the third year, students would work alongside the military. That was because most students graduated after their third year, so it was designed to help them get familiar with working at a military base in advance.

This meant that all these fourth year students around me were no strangers to a military environment, responding and acting properly. Many backs had already been straightened, including mine.

The Commander also seemed to know this since he didn’t yell and wasn’t making us scream in response to his words. There was no need to drill these things into us.

The third years, on the other hand, would likely go through a period of training designed to teach them the basics of operating at a military base. They would be yelled at, have to yell in response, and would need to move about in strict ways.

I was glad I didn’t have to go through that, skipping straight to the good stuff.

“Follow me, and we will assign your rooms.”

The Commander turned, the students all following without bothering to look at their instructors. Right now, this Commander had the greatest authority.

We walked into the base, and I took everything in as we went.

The entire base was designed in a hemispherical way. The walls were arched in the front with four sections separated by towers. At the base of the hemisphere, it tapered off and circled around a massive fort.

The fort was built in the rear portion of the base, separated from the walls by three distinct fields. In the midst of these fields were all kinds of things separated by their purpose. For instance, in one field there was a bunch of training equipment. In another was combat equipment like armored vehicles and caches of supplies. And another was filled with structures attached to the walls, likely for extra security.

And attached to the side of the fort were a few large structures, likely the barracks. During our walk there, nobody spoke a word, so I didn’t either even though I had questions I wanted to ask Umara.

Finally, we arrived at one of the buildings. The Commander spun around and spoke.

“This is the male barracks. Just as a forewarning, any fraternizing between the men and women will result in suspension. I’m sure you all can keep it in your pants for a month, so please don’t put us in an awkward situation.”

A few people chuckled, one of them being Umara. Her weird smile made me snicker.

Then, we all saw some wagons roll over, their backs loaded with all our chests.

“Alright, all the men, grab your luggage and head inside. Pick any room and bunk you want. Each room holds two people. And ladies, follow me.”

The Commander waved all the women over. Umara nudged me as she left, making my brows raise.

We seemed to be getting quite close.

After watching their backs for a moment, I turned and found Feiden. With a smile, I smacked his shoulder.

“Hey, let’s room together.”

“Oh. Alright.”

He easily agreed, and we went to find our chests.

I quickly found mine, grabbing it before heading inside. The entry door led into a long hallway, which I walked down with Feiden behind me.

“Which one?”

“I suggest the ones around the middle. Not too close to the entrance where the Commander comes banging on your door, and not too close to the bathrooms where everyone is constantly coming and going.”

“Alright. Middle it is.”

Picking a room in the center of the hallway, I opened the door and walked in.

The small room I entered had two beds on either corner across the way as well as a single bench, table, two chairs, and two dressers to store items.

Everything was generally worn out. The floor was wooden and there was a single light in the center of the ceiling. No luxury to speak of.

I sighed, thinking that I had taken my extravagantly luxurious room at the Black Spider Hotel for granted. The only thing worse than this would be living outside or in a tent.

As for the bed, when I pressed on it, my hand didn’t sink down. It was pretty stiff, with a wood base and thin mattress filled with who knows what. The pillow wasn’t much better, and there was only one sheet and one wool blanket.

I was quickly figuring out that I packed light. Hell, I should’ve brought an entire bed. I might’ve if I knew this piece of crap was waiting for me here.

And naturally, Feiden was prepared. He had his own pillow and set of blankets that he draped over the bed.

Seeing me glance over there, he turned to me and smiled.

“Would you like a blanket?”

“No, that’s fine. Live and learn, right?”

“Haha, indeed. I remember my first time on a base. Stressful and unaccommodating, was how I’d describe it.”

“Sounds about right.”

I chuckled and took a seat on the bed. At the very least, it looked and smelled clean, so they weren’t making me sleep in used sheets.

Not long after that, we heard one of the instructors call all the men. Heading out of our room, the instructor let us know about some things for the following day.

Things like where the cafeteria was, where the bathrooms were, where we needed to report the next morning and when.

After that final briefing, we were all allowed to finally retire for the night.

Tomorrow, there was a lot waiting for us.